Shell invests in coal to diesel in Australia

Australian Bus and Coach reports Shell is investing in a coal to diesel plant which could eventually produce 60,000 barrels of diesel a day from Victoria brown coal. Victoria's Latrobe Valley provides easy access to brown coal, which makes it an attractive site for a coal to diesel plant. The plant will be producing low emission diesel fuel, and the plant would sequester carbon dioxide and other emissions. The owner of the deposit has experience with coal to fuel plants in South Africa. The plant is a long-term project though, with a projected completion date a decade from today. The plant is projected to be viable if crude oil prices are above US$40 a barrel, which makes me believe they will be raking in a big profit once they are up and running.
[Source: Australian Bus and Coach]